


Coffee Grounds Included with Purchase

by Fether, noirxshirosk



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, Drama, I love Cats, M/M, Slow Burn, all kinds of breeds, also there will be cats, coffee shop AU, eventual jade, eventual sheith, gotta have the lions in there somewhere!, i write long chapters, or kinkjames, so cats, so many cats, whatever you kids are calling the james/ryan ship these days
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 10:01:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16659071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fether/pseuds/Fether, https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirxshirosk/pseuds/noirxshirosk
Summary: Keith and James work in a Coffee Shop, dealing with their own problems as well as trying to live their lives to the fullest.A slice of life Coffee Shop AU we wrote because we couldn't find our own. :T





	Coffee Grounds Included with Purchase

Keith hadn't had his morning coffee yet.

It was ten minutes until the shop opened, and he stared sullenly at the brewing pot, mentally wishing that it would go faster. The shop owner, Allura, was currently humming to herself in a happy manner, her white hair tied up in a bun and underneath of a hair net as she bounced around the shop, preparing everything for the coffee shop to open.

Keith glanced to her out of the corners of his eyes, and grumbled as he slouched further.

"Oh, don't be like that, Keith. You'll get your coffee soon enough, and everything will be right in the world." She gave one of her trademark smiles, putting her fingers on her cheeks as she beamed at him in a cute manner, then went to refill the straws and lids for the customers.

He sighed in reply, leaning against the counter as he held back a yawn. He was lucky to have this job, and lucky that Allura liked him -- he'd been working here for a few months now, thanks to his partner James giving a good word to her, after the interview had gone smoothly for him.

But the customers? The _customers_ were what really set him off some days. For the most part, he didn't _mind_ them, but some of them really got under his nerves.

"Five minutes!" Allura called out, and Keith checked the coffee pot again, lips twisting when it _still_ wasn't done. He was too used to James already having a cup ready for him, simply because he didn't want to deal with a grumpy Keith -- but Keith appreciated a lot of things that James did for him.

He just didn't show it as often as he should have.

Thinking about James, Keith bit his bottom lip as he rocked back on his heels. Usually, James had the opening shift with him, but he was off visiting his parents for the holidays. It never really turned out well when he visited, due to how little he heard his parents were like, so Keith tried to be there for James when he came back, whenever he could.

He missed him, after all, even though he'd never admit it. (James probably knew anyway, by the way he acted when he returned.)

Glancing down to his apron, Keith slid his fingers over the emblem on his chest, a light smile playing upon his lips. He found the image of the four mice rather cute, a design that Allura had made herself. She was quite proud of it, and had no reason not to be -- it was aesthetically pleasing no matter which way you looked at it.

Eyeing the coffee pot again, Keith breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that it was done, reaching up to pour out a cup for himself. He added the right amount of cream and sugar before stirring... and then drank a hearty sip. Even though it wasn’t quite the way James made his coffee, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the almost perfect mixture, delighted with the way it turned out.

A soft chime sounded as Keith had his first few sips of coffee, indicating that the morning rush was finally here to wreck havoc on the always-very-popular establishment. It was the city's most beloved coffee shop, and anyone who was anyone would be getting a cup of their own joe on the way to work, or their day would be _fried._ Long, and absolutely unpleasant.

Some of the usual customers were there. The customers that came every morning, and some that were clearly trying the place out for the first time for a new commute to a new job. It wasn't unheard of, business in this city was booming, and a lot of the people who stop anywhere on their way to work need something to keep themselves awake with during their morning. Their coffee offered warmth and comfort, yet also a firm hand in support that some regular old coffee couldn't beat. No one knew what made the coffee different from other places, but all came from high and low, just to get a cup.

Once the normal rush was over, a man with rather noticeably white hair stepped up to the counter, fishing out a credit card. Once he found it, his features brightened, and he finally looked up to make eye contact with Keith behind the counter, ready to take his order. Kind brown eyes locked onto Keith's, and in them were nothing but pure happiness. He looked like he was one of _those_ morning people, and definitely didn't look like he needed coffee. But here he was, anyway.

"Hi, I will try to make this as short as possible. I've never... Ordered a coffee before, from a place like this? I was told to get a pumpkin spice latte? Do you have those here?"

Noticing he was last in line, Keith blinked as he jerked a thumb at the menu behind him, sticking the receipts on the skewer next to his hand. "We have Pumpkin Spice, and the special Autumnal flavored drink, too. They come with different flavors, so if you're not sure which one you want, the ingredients are below them."

He found it strange that this man looked so young, yet had white hair... but he supposed that he'd seen them all, really. When you worked in a coffee shop, you were bound to see some strange things.

The man was captivated by Keith's voice instantly. It had a soft edge to it, and he tilted his head like a puppy as he listened to Keith speak about the different flavors and ingredients of these... types of _coffee._ He didn't even know there were so many different flavors and it honestly made him nervous because his _co-worker_ didn't give him any _specifics._ He was always _such_ a man of words, that man was.

"Ah... Uhm." He glanced over to the sign and craned his neck, just to look at the ingredients. He pointed to the one he was _fairly_ sure that was what had been asked for, before he looked back to Keith. "That one. The number seven... one. In a... large?"

He was pointing to the Autumnal one Keith had offered, and honestly the man looked so unsure, but he held out his card anyway.

Glancing up at the menu out of habit, Keith entered it into the register with ease, not even batting an eye. The coffee still had to kick in, but he was slowly waking up.

"Okay. Anything else? And what's the name for the order?" Allura smiled at him from across the counter as she spoke in her soft voice, beginning to make his drink. Her white teeth contrasted against her dark skin, making her entire demeanor that much brighter. The man’s attention turned away from Keith at her voice. It was such a friendly tone, and he was rather drawn to it easily. He smiled brightly, and leaned a hand on the counter.

“Uh— Ryan. His name’s Ryan. He comes in here more often than I do.” He scratched the back of his head before glancing around the place, admiration in his gaze. “... I like the way this place is decorated.”

" _Thank_ you!" Allura's smile was contagious, and she leaned against the counter as she waited for the milk to steam. "I'm Allura! I’m the shop owner. I decorated this place myself, with the help of Keith here, and James." Beaming at him, Keith's ears turned pink as he picked up the cup and wrote on it, setting it down to slide over to Allura. She instantly picked it up and wrinkled her nose at the name, shaking her head as she poured the coffee and flavors in, blending it with the steamed milk.

She poured two out -- one marked 'RYE', while the other was blank.

"One on the house." Allura winked at him, laughing as she pushed them forward after Shiro paid.

"Oh-- Wow. Thank you!" He exclaimed as he slipped his card back into his wallet, sliding his hands towards the cups on the counter. He picked them both up with ease, smiling at the feeling of warmth in his hands before he looked back up to Allura. "It's very nice to meet you, Allura and..." He turned to Keith, eyes narrowing as he made sense of which boy this was Allura was referring to, and beaming when it was discovered. "... Keith."

He held the cups a little tighter. "I'm Shiro. I work at the university near by, so this definitely won't be my last time here. I'm in somewhat of a rush, but hopefully I'll see you both around soon!" He chirped, the corners of his eyes crinkling, his own smile equal parts as infectious as Allura's. With that, he lifted the blank cup in the form of a gestured farewell, and exited the shop.

Keith stared at him as he left, crossing his arms. "... I don't like him."

"Keith!" Allura cried, shaking her finger at him. "Just because he's nice--"

"Yeah. He's _too_ nice. It has to be fake." Huffing, he shook his head, taking advantage of the lull in customers to restock from the back room. Allura shrugged, letting out a long sigh.

She knew he couldn't help it. It was _Keith_ , after all.

Keith had every right to be suspicious of someone so nice. It was impossible for someone _that_ nice to exist, but Allura existed, so did he really have any right to judge?

When Shiro left the stop, he was quick to drive over to the University, parking his car in the usual spot and booking it into the school and out of the cold. The frigid temperature always made him tense, and it ailed him considerably, but he pushed through it to make it back to the warmth of the building. The school's heat packed a punch the second he entered, and it was honestly bliss for his entire body. He sniffled, taking a mental note to wipe his face when he got the chance, before veering off to Ryan's classroom and knocking on the wooden door when he arrived.

"Ryan, I'm here. Open up."

The door opened, and a tall black man stood there with a camera, quickly taking a few pictures of Shiro holding the coffee. He smiled as he stepped back... continuing to snap candid photos of the other.

Shiro just smiled as the pictures of him were taken, not minding them at all in the least. It was as if this were an expected recurrence, and Shiro was playing along.

"I can't tell if you're taking pictures of _me_ because you like me that much, or if it's because I'm holding your coffee." He moved into the room, putting the coffee down at his desk. He always liked this side of the University-- it had a good view of the water, which he supposes is why this building was specifically for Visual Arts students. It invoked creativity... or so that was what he heard was the reasoning.

Ryan gave the other a small smirk. "Perhaps a little of both." He set the camera down and picked his coffee up, sniffing it curiously before taking a sip.

He stared at the far wall, his gaze growing distant. "... wow. This... isn't pumpkin spice."

"... Ah." Shiro's mouth settled in a fine line, as he clutched the other coffee to his chest. "I must've gotten the wrong version then. I told you I didn't know what I was doing—"

"Well, _they_ knew what they were doing. This is amazing." Ryan took another deep sip, leaning back against his desk as he gave a soft moan of pleasure.

Shiro blinked, upon hearing that moan, not really _expecting_ it.

"That's... Good? It's some Autumnal flavored drink... They had different flavors. So this one specifically was under number seven, in case you decide to go there on your _own_ next time." His tongue poked out, and he lightly swirled the cup in his hand.

" _Thank_ you." Ryan smiled, holding his cup as his mind wandered, enjoying the company. "... what do I owe you, Shiro?"

"You're welcome." He said with a smile, putting down the coffee he held to take off his scarf. He folded it and tucked it away in his bag before adjusting the strap, then picked the coffee back up again. "I don't need anything in return. I didn't mind running there for you, _and_ I got a free coffee out of it. So I'll take that as repayment."  
  
He smiles, and begins to back out of the classroom. "I'll see you for lunch, yeah?"

"Yeah. My treat, as agreed." Ryan lifted the cup towards Shiro as a kind of toast, tilting his head in a rather cute manner.

He was _really_ enjoying his cup of coffee.

“Exactly.” Shiro murmured, letting out a chuckle before he gave a two fingered wave and exited the room. He stopped at his fiancé’s classroom— Adam. Adam was a math teacher, and although not in the same building as Shiro, they still made time to see each other at least once during the day. Shiro made that moment now, to deliver the coffee to him and to be granted a kiss to last him throughout the day.

He was going to need it. It was Friday, but it was surely bound to be a long stretch.

Breathing in the warm scents of his coffee as his students filtered in, Ryan relaxed after Shiro had left, and thanks to the coffee, he taught his class with ease. Unlike Shiro, Ryan didn't feel like his days lasted that long; he felt that the days were _far_ too short, but that was expected considering that photography was a rather artistic ability.

It was something Ryan had passion for.

Sauntering to the nearby café after teaching his class, Ryan sat down in his usual seat as he waited for Shiro, slowly nursing what little coffee he had left. He didn’t have to wait for long — Shiro arrived a minute or so later than he normally would... but that was because of who was by his side, walking over _with_ him.

 _Adam_ decided to show up to have lunch with them, and Shiro hadn't had any heart to say no— not when he saw his fiancé so rarely as it was. Walking up, Shiro brightened considerably once he saw Ryan, giving a friendly wave when he caught his attention.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind Adam joining us. And... my siblings." Shiro murmured, catching a glance of the Holts coming this way. "You won't have to pay for them, or for yourself. I can cover it.

"Takashi, you can't just cover everything for everyone..." Adam whispers to him softly, and while Shiro momentarily looked disheartened, he shook it off.

"Hey, guys, we're over here!" Shiro gestured for Katie and Matt to head over to them, pleased to see that they’d arrived in a punctual manner.

"Yeah, I could see you a mile away, 'Ro." Matt snickered as he moved over, though his expression changed just slightly when he saw Adam, his smile fading. "Ah... hey, Adam. I didn't know you were coming."

"Last minute decision." Adam explained curtly, pushing the glasses he wore back up to the bridge of his nose.

"I don't mind the extra company," Ryan said softly, giving a smile to Shiro, and _just_ Shiro. His warm gaze moved to the siblings. "I rather like your family, anyway."

Pidge waved as she instantly moved to sit down beside Ryan, putting her elbows rudely on the table, and not seeming to care in the slightest. "Did you take any new pictures of constellations?"

"As a matter of fact..." Ryan reached down and rummaged inside his bag, pulling out a book and setting it down in front of her. "This is for you. I had it published with my photos, and signed it, too. So now you have to keep it _forever_."

"What a _travesty_ ." Pidge said in a flat tone, though her body language was screaming otherwise. She reached out and opened the book, fingers tracing over Ryan's signature before she started to flip through the pages, eyes becoming wider the more she looked. "These are _gorgeous_ , Ryan..."

Of course, at the mention of constellations... Shiro's already sidling up to Ryan, and getting a good look at those pictures himself. Being the astrology major, and _teaching_ astronomy, he was absolutely always in love with whatever pictures Ryan took. Usually, that was all he ever asked for in repayment, but this time he was fine just seeing them.  
  
"Wow, Ryan, these are... God. Those are your best yet, I think." Shiro whispered in awe, eyes alight with wonder as his eyes followed the shapes he recognized.

Matt was standing behind them, mouth agape. He was just as interested as Shiro at seeing these things, and squeezing Ryan's shoulders, he was left completely flabbergasted. "Shit, he's totally right. Any chance I can get my hands on those too?"

Adam, however, was _enjoying_ the fact that Shiro was looking too lively and happy about something, but not a huge fan of it being about the pictures from _Ryan_ . They've had an argument or two, time and time again, about how Adam could not stand him due to the fact that he felt like whenever he talked to Shiro— it was straight up _flirting_ from his point of view _._ It drove him insane, and he had insecurities that Shiro just hadn’t taken to heart. He had insisted it was nothing, just pure friendship, but he wasn’t so sure he trusted that.

"They are... rather nice." Adam commented as he sat down across from them, his hands folded and his body language tense. Shiro glanced up to him and gave him a small smile, moving from the other's side to sit in the chair... in _between_ them. Now he could still look at the pictures, and be next to Adam! A total win in his book.

"Just nice? Those constellations are hard to get very good pictures of. They're _phenomenal."_ Shiro grinned and looked back to the pictures, eyes lingering on each one. Adam just nodded in response to that, staring back to the pictures himself. He liked astrology, but it wasn't something he was as fascinated by. Nothing like how Shiro and his family were.

"I only have one other book, before I have to order more. So does Shiro want it, or Matt?" Ryan waggled his eyebrows at Shiro, his smile spread across his face as he glanced between the two of them.

"Give it to Matt. He'll whine if you don't." Pidge smirked, flipping through the pages and touching the pictures with interest, her breath caught in her throat. "... these make you feel like you're in _space_ , Ryan. How do you do it?"

"I have a bit of inspiration." His eyes lingered on Shiro, which would most likely make Adam _cringe_.

Shiro shared that look with Ryan, and his smile somehow _brightened_ before he looked back to the pages Pidge was flipping through. Ryan already _knew_ how inspired these photos make _him._ They seemed to inspire one another in a positive light, and what Adam didn't understand was how important that influence was.

"Well, you know. That, and I let him use my telescope sometimes." Shiro smirked a little at that, huffing out a laugh as he rested his elbows on the table. "But, Matt can have them. He got dibs first, and maybe these pictures can inspire him just as much as they do for me."

Matt sat down next to Pidge, frowning at Shiro. "Why must you be so nice? You'll make me feel bad if I get it. You can have it— I'll just steal Katie's from time to time." He grinned and nudged his sister, knowing full well he won't be able to get his hands on it. But that was fine with him— telescopes were just as good as anything else.

Adam, however... was just scowling at this whole interaction. Their work is each other's inspiration, huh? He's totally not jealous. He's not jealous at all, that his work won't be able to inspire diddly squat to Shiro. That just made him inwardly fume more, but on the outside, he was stoic and barely expressive. He always looked so serious, which was such a drastic difference in comparison to Shiro.

"I'm going to... Get lunch to go." Adam said as he stood up, Shiro's eyes immediately landing on him. He looked a little surprised, unsure of what the sudden choice was for.

"You're not... Gonna eat with us?" Shiro asked, and Adam really hated saying no to him because it was like saying no to a really adorable puppy, but he's keeping his foot down right now.

"No. I'm sorry." He kissed the top of Shiro's head before he moved around him. "I'll see you later."

He left without so much as an 'I love you', or a goodbye to the others. Shiro watched after him, his expression now much more somber than it had been moments before. He took a long moment of silence before he turned back to the others.

"So... What does everyone want for lunch?"

"I already paid." Ryan said, his own face returning to a stoic guise as he glanced over to Adam ordering his food. "I even paid ahead for his. The staff will add it to my bill." He knew that would make Adam upset, but at the moment, he didn't _care_ . It bugged Ryan that Adam acted like this. He didn't know what his _problem_ was. Letting out a tiny huff, he reached into his bag and took out a second book, holding it out to Matt.

"Both are personalized, because I already knew what Shiro would say." His nose crinkled as he grinned up at the other man, amusement in his eyes.

Of course Adam hated that. He heard what Ryan said from where he was ordering his food, even though he had an internal war with himself. Once he got his food, he moved back over to the group and gave Ryan his quick thanks, then left without another word.

Shiro just seemed hurt that Adam even left to begin with, having wanted to spend a little time with him _alongside_ his siblings, and his _friend_ … but he doesn’t think that would ever happen. The thought brought him down, but his smile remained ever persistent when Ryan grinned at him.

“Good. You deserve it, Matt. You both are doing great work.” Shiro said, addressing both Pidge and Matt.

Matt smiled a little to Shiro in return, before looking back to the book Ryan handed him. “You do too, Shiro.” Matt murmured, but looked at Ryan with a grateful look. “Thanks. I will treasure this book for the rest of my life.”

Shiro chuckled as he brought a menu into his hands. “Thank you for lunch, Ryan. It’s much appreciated.”

"You've covered me so many times, so it's only payback." Ryan laughed as he shook his head, opening his menu to order. He felt like Shiro deserved _something_ good right now, even if Adam decided to be a prick at the moment. He wasn’t going to let that man ruin lunch for them.

The conversation picked up soon after Adam left, and Ryan and Shiro had a great conversation amongst themselves, enjoying their lunch together. Pidge was playing with her food, making faces at Matt while he ate, thoroughly amused with the faces he made in return.

The four got along together exceptionally well, and of course their hour for lunch was up all too quickly. Shiro appreciated both his friend and his siblings for making him feel a little better before going back to teach the rest of his classes. He needed a form of pick-me-up to get through the day, and he’s fairly sure seeing those pictures from Ryan did the trick, as well as his siblings being supportive.

With bright eyes, Shiro kept the photographed constellations in his mind, dreaming of a someday when he could touch the stars themselves, and not just on a photograph.

**Author's Note:**

> When you can't find a fic you want to read, you have to MAKE IT YOURSELF. /screaming birb noises


End file.
